Court dismisses all child endangerment charges against Hornell assistant principal
A Steuben County court has dismissed all charges against a Hornell High School administrator in connection to student searches during the 2021-2022 academic year.
A Steuben County grand jury indicted Hornell High School Assistant Principal Eli Marcus last June on 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child for searches of at least 10 female students ranging between 13 and 16 years old.
Prosecutors said it was the nature of the searches and how they were handled that led to the charges.
The same grand jury also indicted Jeremy Palotti, the Hornell City School District superintendent, on two counts of official misconduct and one count of failing to make a required report to the New York State Child Abuse Hotline.
The indictment alleged Palotti used taxpayer funds to engage the school district's attorney for personal legal matters and failed to report suspected child abuse or mistreatment.
Now, both school officials have been cleared.
Steuben County Court Judge Judge Philip J. Roche dismissed the charges against Palotti late last year following an "inspection" of the grand jury proceedings.
According to the school district, court officials notified the district on Thursday that all charges against Marcus have also been dropped.
Court officials confirmed Friday that there is no pending criminal action involving Marcus.
"Eli is a family man and life-long educator. With the support of his family, friends, and colleagues, Eli looks forward to putting this saga behind him," Marcus' attorney, Michele Bergevin, said in a statement.
Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker was not immediately available for comment.
Marcus had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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Hornell Board of Education welcomes dismissal of charges
The Hornell Board of Education has defended its employees. School board member Joseph Liberto said administrators followed the "usual procedures" to enforce a code that prohibits tobacco use on campus.
In statement released Thursday, the school board welcomed the dismissal of charges, saying the court acted "as expected."
The statement continued, "We are glad to have this part of the legal process behind us, so that we can remain fully focused on the education of our students."
The board said it was advised not to conduct an internal investigation while the criminal proceedings continued. With all charges dismissed, the board said "the district is now engaged in that process with an independent entity. Out of respect for the process, and in the interest of the privacy of all concerned, we will have no further comment at this time."
Indictments followed hotline complaint
According to the district attorney's office, the investigation of the Hornell administrators stemmed from a hotline complaint to the Steuben County Department of Social Services. The allegation was initially forwarded to the Hornell Police Department before it was referred to the grand jury.
Marcus is an Arkport Central School graduate and former Wellsville High School science teacher. The school district had placed Marcus on administrative leave prior to the grand jury indictments.
District officials did not respond to questions Friday about Marcus' current employment status or identify the "independent entity" tasked with conducting the internal investigation.
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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Hornell High School principal child endangerment case dismissed
